Ryan Beatty is a 17-year-old internet sensation who is going on tour with Cody Simpson on May 30. / Kii Arens

by Kaveh Rezaei and Korina Lopez, USA TODAY, USATODAY

by Kaveh Rezaei and Korina Lopez, USA TODAY, USATODAY

Take 35 million page views on YouTube, add 337,830 Twitter followers, plus 274,783 Facebook likes, and you get 17, as in Ryan Beatty, the Internet teen sensation. He stopped by USA TODAY's StudioA to share a few songs from his debut EP, Because of You, and sit down for a quick chat.

"I made my own (YouTube) channel in 2011 and just started posting covers. I didn't really know what would happen," he says. With his popularity skyrocketing, Beatty has gone from performing for just a few people in his hometown of Clovis, Calif., to playing shows in China. Luckily, singing to large crowds doesn't intimidate him. "When I'm (onstage), I feel fearless," he says. "Offstage, I have to admit, I'm a pretty shy person." His soulful acoustic style draws from a deep well of influences, from Stevie Wonder and Kenny Loggins to Ed Sheeran and his all-time favorite, John Mayer. "I would love to write a song with either Mayer or Ed Sheeran," he says. "I'd even like to just sit in the studio with them â?¦ just to witness it."

As Justin Bieber continues to shed his squeaky-clean image, he's making room for singers like Beatty, who, despite his physical resemblance to the superstar, prefers a low profile. "We're about the same age, but we dress differently, and musically we're different," he says.Until Mayer's people call, Beatty will just have to settle for Justin Bieber, who did a cover of Beatty's YouTube single Every Little Thing, and Cody Simpson, who he'll tour with this summer. They kick off their Paradise tour May 30 in Jacksonville and wrap up July 27 in Denver.